Nokia could be in the middle of preparing Windows Phone devices to land in 2012. As many of twelve of these Windows Phone devices are intended to release during 2012, suggests information from a Russian website called Mobile-Review. The site has attained a reputation for its accuracy concerning Nokia. While releasing twelve handsets seems rather unlikely, the site does offer information on four main devices that Nokia intend to release towards the end of 2011, or the start of 2012. Currently, Nokia are using a naming system of W-xx (the "W" denotes a Windows Phone device, and the "xx" field will be replaced with numbers during their development; for example, W7-01). According to information available on Mobile-Review, Nokia"s plans are subject to change almost daily, with hastily-made decisions.
The Windows Phone 7 devices apparently all use a very similar, if not identical, chassis. The only real differences in the phones are external, as they all use the same internal processor and other parts. The current chassis are produced by Qualcomm, though by the end of the year a second chassis will likely be in production. The newer chassis will allow for the usage of different processors and alternative phone designs: for example, slide-based devices with QWERTY keypads and other such designs. Nokia"s current prototypes use Qualcomm"s chassis currently, though it is likely that the company will adapt their designs to Chassis 2 when it releases. According to the article"s writer, the prototype phone he used was a revised version of the Nokia X7, with a WVGA screen and QSD8250 chipset. The screen is not AMOLED, like that of the Samsung Galaxy, but apparently, the prototype was similar to the HTC Mozart handset, boasting a similar set of features.
The camera on the phone is supposedly 8MP, and features both flash and auto-focus. The auto-focus feature will be available on all Nokia-produced Windows Phones, in order to differentiate them from Nokia devices running their Symbian mobile OS. The other prototypes outlined by the article"s writer are a QWERTY-based candybar phone, similar to the Nokia E72. The design is currently unknown, though it may simply be a modified version of the existing E72 device, running Windows Mobile. This model is likely marketed at business users, due to the existence of a corporate subscription system.
The third prototype outlined is a Nokia N8, running the Windows Phone OS. As the N8 already features a 12MP camera, the camera is likely going to be marketed as the phone"s unique selling point. The phone design is apparently to be customized in order to prevent it resembling the current N8 handset. The other main goal of the N8-based device is to create the most powerful Windows Phone available - meaning that it may use a dual-core processor and the Adreno 320 GPU. This phone represents the difficulty Nokia are apparently encountering with the transition to Windows Mobile devices, as specification information on the device is apparently "changing weekly".
The final prototype described in the article is a cheaper touch-screen device. The phone will apparently use cheaper materials for the body in order to minimize production costs. The camera included is likely to include a fixed-focus system, in order to further reduce manufacture costs. The phone is intended to bridge the gap between earlier WP7 devices, and newer devices that release in the future (referred to as "wave 2" devices).
Further through the article, it suggests the end of Nokia"s own mobile operating system, Symbian. The OS is still being supported into 2012, though it will not be supported beyond the end of the year. On a rather more worrying note, the writer of the original article hints at potentially massive lay-offs within Nokia, after Symbian ceases to be the company"s main focus.